JP7419880B2 - electronic wind instrument - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic wind instrument.

Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic wind instrument that outputs sound from a speaker by blowing into it, in which a speaker is installed in a part that resembles the bell of an alto saxophone.

US Patent No. 4915008

However, in an acoustic wind instrument such as a saxophone, sound is emitted not only from the bell but also from parts distant from the bell, such as open tone holes. That is, the sound of an acoustic wind instrument is radiated to the outside from a plurality of different parts. Therefore, there is a problem in that the acoustic characteristics of the electronic wind instrument of Patent Document 1 are significantly different from those of an acoustic wind instrument.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic wind instrument that can have acoustic characteristics close to those of an acoustic wind instrument.

One aspect of the present invention provides a breath sensor, an operator that instructs a pitch, a speaker that outputs sound based on performance information obtained from the breath sensor and/or the operator, and a space inside the speaker. and an acoustic tube connected to the speaker and extending outside the speaker.

According to the present invention, the acoustic characteristics of an electronic wind instrument can be made closer to those of an acoustic wind instrument.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic wind instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic wind instrument according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the electronic wind instrument shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an electronic wind instrument according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic wind instrument 1 according to the present embodiment includes a breath sensor 2, an operator 3, a speaker 4, and an acoustic tube 5. Furthermore, the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment includes a mouthpiece fixing section 6 that fixes the mouthpiece 100. The mouthpiece 100 is a component used by the player of the electronic wind instrument 1 to blow toward the breath sensor 2 .

The operator 3 is operated by a player's fingers to instruct at least the pitch of a sound output from a speaker 4, which will be described later. The operator 3 may be configured, for example, only by a push button that can be pressed by the player's fingers, or may be configured to include, for example, a push button and a key mechanism that is pressed by operating the player's fingers. . In this embodiment, a plurality of operators 3 are provided on the same base portion 7. The base portion 7 may include a circuit board on which push buttons of the operator 3 are mounted, a support portion that supports a key mechanism of the operator 3, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic wind instrument 1 includes a circuit in which a breath sensor 2, an operator 3, a control section 32, and a sound signal generation section 33 are connected to a bus 30.
The breath sensor 2 detects the velocity and length of the performer's breath blown onto it, and outputs breath data in accordance with this. The operator 3 detects an operation by the player and outputs fingering data according to the detection result. The control section 32 controls the operation of the sound signal generation section 33 based on performance information including breath data from the breath sensor 2 and fingering data from the operator 3. The sound signal generation section 33 generates a musical tone signal including pitch, volume, etc. according to the performance information under the control of the control section 32, and outputs the musical tone signal to the amplifier 34. The musical tone signal outputted from the sound signal generation section 33 is amplified by the amplifier 34 and then outputted to the speaker 4.

The speaker 4 outputs sound based on performance information obtained from the breath sensor 2 and/or the operator 3. That is, the speaker 4 outputs sound based on the musical tone signal obtained by amplifying the musical tone signal according to the performance information by the amplifier 34.
Specifically, the speaker 4 outputs sound when the player's breath is blown into the mouthpiece 100. Note that the speaker 4 may also output sound, for example, when the player operates the operator 3 without the player's breath being blown into the mouthpiece 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the speaker 4 includes a speaker driver 11 and a speaker box 12. The speaker driver 11 generates sound based on performance information. The speaker box 12 has a space inside and is formed into a box shape in which the speaker driver 11 is housed. The speaker box 12 has an opening 12A that connects the internal space to the outside.

The acoustic tube 5 is connected to the space inside the speaker 4 and extends to the outside of the speaker 4. Specifically, one end of the acoustic tube 5 in the longitudinal direction is connected to the opening 12A of the speaker box 12, and extends to the outside of the speaker box 12. The acoustic tube 5 of this embodiment extends linearly. Note that the acoustic tube 5 may be curved, for example.

The acoustic tube 5 of this embodiment includes a first tube section 21 and a second tube section 22. The first pipe portion 21 extends outward from the opening 12A (speaker 4) of the speaker box 12. The second tube portion 22 is continuous with the distal end of the first tube portion 21 in the extending direction. The second tube portion 22 includes an open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5 that opens outward.
In the present embodiment, the first tube portion 21 is a tube in which the diameter of the first tube portion 21 does not change or the change in diameter is small in the direction of extension. On the other hand, the second tube portion 22 is a tapered tube whose diameter increases as the distance from the tip of the first tube portion 21 increases. That is, the second pipe portion 22 is formed in a shape corresponding to a bell of an acoustic wind instrument.
Note that the first tube portion 21 is not limited to the tube having the shape described above, and may be a tapered tube similar to the second tube portion 22, for example, or the first tube portion 21 in the extending direction of the first tube portion 21 may be a tapered tube similar to the second tube portion 22. The tube may have a large change in diameter.

The second tube portion 22 of this embodiment is made of metal. Note that the second tube portion 22 may be made of a material other than metal, such as resin. The first tube portion 21 may be made of the same metal as the second tube portion 22, or may be made of a different material from the second tube portion 22 (for example, a material other than metal such as resin).
The first tube part 21 and the second tube part 22 may be formed integrally, for example. Moreover, the first tube part 21 and the second tube part 22 may be formed separately, for example, and then connected to each other.

The acoustic tube 5 is provided with the aforementioned operator 3. Specifically, the operator 3 is provided in the first tube section 21 of the acoustic tube 5. The plurality of operators 3 are lined up in the longitudinal direction of the first tube section 21. Further, a base portion 7 is interposed between the plurality of operators 3 and the first tube portion 21. Note that the base portion 7 may be in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the first tube portion 21, or may be arranged at a distance from the outer circumferential surface of the first tube portion 21. In this embodiment, the operator 3 and the base part 7 are not provided in the second tube part 22. That is, the second tube section 22 is not covered by the operator 3 or the base section 7, and is exposed entirely.

The mouthpiece fixing part 6 is fixed to the speaker 4. Specifically, the mouthpiece fixing part 6 is directly fixed to the speaker box 12. The mouthpiece fixing part 6 has a role of fixing the mouthpiece 100. That is, the mouthpiece fixing part 6 has a role of attaching the mouthpiece 100 to the speaker box 12. The mouthpiece fixing part 6 may be configured to detachably fix the mouthpiece 100.
A breath sensor 2 is arranged inside the mouthpiece fixing part 6. Therefore, when the mouthpiece 100 is fixed to the mouthpiece fixing part 6, the player's breath blown into the mouthpiece 100 enters the mouthpiece fixing part 6 and reaches the breath sensor 2. Thereby, the breath sensor 2 can detect the flow rate and length of the performer's breath.

The speaker 4 is located between the mouthpiece fixing part 6 and the operator 3 described above. In this embodiment, the mouthpiece fixing part 6, the speaker 4, and the operator 3 are lined up in this order in a straight line (left-right direction in FIG. 1). Furthermore, when the mouthpiece 100 is fixed to the mouthpiece fixing part 6, the mouthpiece 100, the speaker 4, and the operator 3 are lined up in this order in a straight line.

In the electronic wind instrument 1 of the present embodiment, the speaker driver 11 is arranged in a direction (see Fig. 1, it is directed upward). Therefore, the sound emitted from the speaker driver 11 is mainly radiated in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mouthpiece fixing part 6 (mouthpiece 100), the speaker 4, and the operator 3 are arranged.

In the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, sound emitted from the speaker 4 based on performance information obtained from the breath sensor 2 and the operator 3 is directly radiated outward from the speaker 4. Further, the sound emitted from the speaker 4 passes through the space inside the speaker 4 (speaker box 12) and the inside of the acoustic tube 5, and is radiated outward from the open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5. That is, the sound from the speaker 4 can be radiated to the outside of the electronic wind instrument 1 from two different positions. Thereby, the acoustic characteristics of the electronic wind instrument 1 can be brought closer to those of an acoustic wind instrument.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of the present embodiment, the direction in which the speaker driver 11 faces (upward in FIG. 1) and the direction in which the open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5 opens (rightward in FIG. 1) are different from each other. ing. Therefore, the sounds of the speakers 4 emitted from two different positions can be radiated in different directions.
Note that the direction in which the open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5 opens may be arbitrarily set. Thereby, the radiation direction of sound emitted from the open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5 can be set arbitrarily.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of the present embodiment, similarly to an acoustic wind instrument, the position from which the sound is emitted (in particular, the position from which the sound is emitted with respect to the player) can be changed depending on the fingering (pitch). . This point will be explained below.
In an acoustic wind instrument, the lower the pitch, the more sound holes are closed, and the louder the sound radiated from the bell (the open end of the acoustic tube) becomes. For this reason, with an acoustic wind instrument, the lower the pitch, the more the sound sounds as if it is being played at a position further away from the performer (mouthpiece).

On the other hand, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the lower the sound emitted from the speaker 4, the more likely it is to resonate in the acoustic tube 5. Therefore, in the electronic wind instrument 1, as in the case of an acoustic wind instrument, the lower the pitch, the louder the sound radiated from the open end 5A of the acoustic tube 5. Further, in the electronic wind instrument 1, as described above, the speaker 4 is located near the player (mouthpiece 100), and the acoustic tube 5 is located further away from the player (mouthpiece 100) than the speaker 4. Sound is radiated from both open ends 5A. As a result, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment as well, similarly to the acoustic wind instrument, the lower the pitch, the more the sound sounds as if it is being played at a position farther away from the player (mouthpiece 100).
Therefore, the acoustic characteristics of the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment approximate those of an acoustic wind instrument.

Further, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the operator 3 is provided on the acoustic tube 5. Therefore, vibrations accompanying the sound emitted from the speaker 4 (speaker driver 11) can be transmitted to the player's fingers through the sound tube 5 and the operator 3. Since this vibration transmission mechanism is similar to that of an acoustic wind instrument, the player can play the electronic wind instrument 1 with a feeling similar to that of an acoustic wind instrument.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the mouthpiece 100 is fixed to the mouthpiece fixing portion 6, thereby connecting the mouthpiece 100 to the speaker 4 (speaker box 12). Therefore, vibrations accompanying the sound emitted from the speaker 4 (speaker driver 11) can be transmitted to the performer's mouth through the mouthpiece 100. Since this vibration transmission mechanism is similar to that of an acoustic wind instrument, the player can play the electronic wind instrument 1 with a feeling closer to that of an acoustic wind instrument.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the speaker 4 is located between the mouthpiece fixing part 6 (mouthpiece 100) and the operator 3. Thereby, vibrations accompanying the sound emitted from the speaker 4 (speaker driver 11) can be efficiently transmitted to both the mouthpiece 100 and the operator 3.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the operator 3 is provided in the first tube section 21 of the acoustic tube 5, and is not provided in the second tube section 22. Therefore, the structure of the electronic wind instrument 1 can be made closer to that of an acoustic wind instrument, which does not have a tone hole or a key mechanism for opening and closing the tone hole at the tip of the tube body (for example, a bell). This makes it possible to bring the acoustic characteristics of the electronic wind instrument 1 closer to those of an acoustic wind instrument.

Furthermore, in the electronic wind instrument 1 of this embodiment, the second tube portion 22 of the acoustic tube 5 that is exposed without being covered by the operator 3 is made of metal. By making the second pipe section 22 made of the same metal as the pipe body of an acoustic wind instrument such as a saxophone, the acoustic characteristics of the electronic wind instrument 1 can be brought closer to those of an acoustic wind instrument. Further, the external design of the electronic wind instrument 1 can be made closer to that of a metal acoustic wind instrument.

In the electronic wind instrument 1 of the first embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, at least one operator 3A among the plurality of operators 3 is arranged such that the speaker 4 is located between the mouthpiece 100 It's fine. In FIG. 3, the remaining operators 3B among the plurality of operators 3 are located between the mouthpiece 100 and the speaker 4, or are provided on the mouthpiece fixing part 6, but the present invention is not limited to this. There isn't.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations are omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic wind instrument 1D of the second embodiment includes a breath sensor 2, an operator 3, a speaker 4, and an acoustic tube 5, similarly to the first embodiment. Furthermore, the electronic wind instrument 1D of this embodiment includes a case 8 and a circuit board 9.

The case 8 surrounds the outside of the acoustic tube 5 so as to be spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube 5. The case 8 is formed into a cylindrical shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the acoustic tube 5. Inside the case 8, in addition to the first tube section 21 of the acoustic tube 5, a speaker 4 is arranged. The second tube portion 22 of the acoustic tube 5 projects from the first end portion 8A of the case 8 in the axial direction to the outside of the case 8. In a state where the first tube section 21 and the speaker 4 are arranged inside the case 8, there is a gap G1 between the outer peripheral surface of the first tube section 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the case 8.

The speaker 4 arranged inside the case 8 is located at the second end 8B of the case 8 in the axial direction. The speaker box 12 is fixed to the case 8. Specifically, the speaker box 12 is fixed to a part of the circumferential wall of the case 8 that forms the second end 8B, and is spaced apart from the remaining part of the circumferential wall in the circumferential direction. . In the illustrated example, a part of the speaker box 12 is formed integrally with the peripheral wall of the case 8, but the present invention is not limited to this.

A mouthpiece 100 is fixed to the second end 8B of the case 8. A portion of the second end portion 8B of the case 8 between the speaker 4 and the mouthpiece 100 corresponds to the mouthpiece fixing portion 6 (see FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. The breath sensor 2 is arranged inside the second end 8B of the case 8. Therefore, when the mouthpiece 100 is fixed to the second end 8B of the case 8, the player's breath blown into the mouthpiece 100 enters the second end 8B of the case 8 and reaches the breath sensor 2. do. Thereby, the breath sensor 2 can detect the flow rate and length of the performer's breath.

A first end portion 8A of the case 8 is closed except for a portion through which the acoustic tube 5 passes. Further, the second end portion 8B of the case 8 is closed except for the portion to which the mouthpiece 100 is attached. Therefore, the gap G1 between the outer peripheral surface of the first tube part 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the case 8 does not connect to the outside through the first end 8A and second end 8B of the case 8, except for the mouthpiece 100. It looks like this.

The operator 3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case 8. Specifically, the operator 3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of a portion of the peripheral wall of the case 8 that covers the first tube portion 21 . The plurality of operators 3 are lined up in the axial direction of the case 8 (the longitudinal direction of the first tube section 21). Therefore, a portion of the peripheral wall portion of the case 8 where the operator 3 is provided corresponds to the base portion 7 of the first embodiment.

The circuit board 9 has a function of outputting a musical tone signal to the speaker 4 based on performance information from the breath sensor 2 and/or the operator 3. That is, the circuit board 9 includes a control section 32, a sound signal generation section 33, a bus 30, an amplifier 34 (see FIG. 2), etc. similar to the first embodiment. The circuit board 9 is connected to the breath sensor 2, the operator 3, and the speaker 4. For example, there may be one circuit board 9, but in this embodiment, it is divided into a plurality of circuit boards (two in the illustrated example). The plurality of circuit boards 9 are connected to each other. In the illustrated example, the same circuit board 9 is connected to the breath sensor 2 and the speaker 4, but the invention is not limited to this. The same circuit board 9 only needs to be connected to at least one of the breath sensor 2, the operator 3, and the speaker 4.

The circuit board 9 is provided in a gap G1 between the outer peripheral surface of the first tube portion 21 and the case 8. The plurality of circuit boards 9 are fixed to both the outer circumferential surface of the first tube part 21 and the inner circumferential surface of the case 8 by screws or the like. Note that the circuit board 9 may be fixed to only one of the outer circumferential surface of the first tube portion 21 and the inner circumferential surface of the case 8, for example. Further, the circuit board 9 is not limited to being provided only in the gap G1 between the outer circumferential surface of the first tube section 21 and the inner circumferential surface of the case 8, but may also be provided between the speaker 4 and the inner circumferential surface of the case 8, for example. May be provided.

According to the electronic wind instrument 1D of the second embodiment, the same effects as the first embodiment are achieved.
Further, in the second embodiment, the case 8 is arranged at a distance from the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube 5. Therefore, even if the operator 3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the case 8, interference of the operator 3 with the acoustic tube 5 can be suppressed. For example, even if a part of the operator 3 moves from the case 8 toward the acoustic tube 5 when the player operates the operator 3, it is prevented from reaching the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube 5. , hitting the acoustic tube 5 can be suppressed or prevented.

Further, in the second embodiment, the circuit board 9 is provided in the gap G1 between the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube 5 and the case 8. Therefore, the electronic wind instrument 1D can be made smaller without affecting the acoustic tube 5.

In the electronic wind instrument 1D of the second embodiment, for example, a portion (for example, one) of the plurality of operators 3 may be arranged in a portion of the case 8 between the speaker 4 and the mouthpiece 100.

Although the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the present invention, the mouthpiece 100 may be provided integrally with the speaker 4 (particularly the speaker box 12), for example. That is, the mouthpiece 100 may be provided in a non-removable manner with respect to the speaker 4.

In the present invention, the breath sensor 2 is not limited to being placed inside the mouthpiece fixing part 6 or the corresponding case 8, but may be placed outside the mouthpiece fixing part 6 or the case 8, for example.

1, 1D...electronic wind instrument, 2...breath sensor, 3, 3A, 3B...operator, 4...speaker, 5...acoustic tube, 6...mouthpiece fixing part, 8...case, 9...circuit board, 21...th One pipe part, 22... Second pipe part, 100... Mouthpiece

Claims (9)

Breath sensor and
An operator that instructs the pitch,
a speaker that outputs sound based on performance information obtained from the breath sensor and/or the operator;
an acoustic tube connected to a space inside the speaker and extending outside the speaker;
An electronic wind instrument equipped with The electronic wind instrument according to claim 1, wherein the operator is provided on the acoustic tube. The acoustic tube has a first tube section extending from the speaker, and a second tube section connected to the distal end of the first tube section in the extending direction,
The electronic wind instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operator is provided in the first pipe section. The electronic wind instrument according to claim 3, wherein the second pipe section is made of metal. Equipped with a mouthpiece fixing part that fixes the mouthpiece,
The electronic wind instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mouthpiece fixing section is fixed to the speaker. The electronic wind instrument according to claim 5, wherein the speaker is located between the mouthpiece fixing part and the operator. The electronic wind instrument according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a case surrounding the outside of the acoustic tube so as to be spaced apart from the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube. The electronic wind instrument according to claim 7, further comprising a circuit board provided in a gap between the outer peripheral surface of the acoustic tube and the case. The electronic wind instrument according to claim 8, wherein the circuit board is connected to at least one of the breath sensor, the operator, and the speaker.

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